


Ghost of You

by Claire8216



Series: Song-fics [4]
Category: Figure Skating RPF, Olympics RPF
Genre: Angst, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I'm so sorry for this, LIKE A LOT OF ANGST, Romance, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 03:52:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15877971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Claire8216/pseuds/Claire8216
Summary: But there wasn’t any spark between the two of them like there was with Tessa. He doesn’t feel like he’s leaving a hot trail of desire on every inch of her body that he touches like he did with Tessa. And their dance just confirms everything he already knew. It just isn’t the same as it was with Tessa.It never will be.-OR-Song fic based off of "Ghost of You" by 5 Seconds of Summer





	Ghost of You

_Here I am waking up, still can't sleep on your side_  
_There's your coffee cup, the lipstick stain fades with time_  
 _If I can dream long enough, you'd tell me I'd be just fine_  
 _I'll be just fine_

***

Scott wakes up to the small stream of light coming through the gap in his blinds, hitting him right in the eye. On instinct, he reaches out to the other side of the bed, expecting to feel the warm body of _her_ , but stops short when he remembers that it’s unoccupied.

It’s always unoccupied now.

***

_“Scott,” he heard her murmuring._ “Scott _, wake up.”_

_Groaning, Scott reluctantly opened his eyes, his vision adjusting to the morning light before they focused on a pair of loving green eyes staring back at him._

_His immediate reaction was to smile, damn the time and damn the thoughts of sleep trying to pull him back in, because Tessa Virtue was currently looking at him like he was her world. He snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him as he buried his head in the crook of her neck._

_“Good morning, Miss Virtue,” he murmured. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”_

_She giggled, pretending to shy away from him but was actually pulling him even closer._

_“You’re on my side of the bed. You’re practically hogging the whole thing.”_

_Scott just nuzzled into her neck even more. He had one arm around her waist, the other playing with the ends of her hair, and one leg draped over her own legs. Not that she seemed to mind. She just laughed more, enjoying the sensation of his mouth on her neck._

_“But this is_ our _bed, Tess. I think having sides is a bit unfair, don’t you?”_

_“Eh,” she replied. “You’re maybe…halfway there to convincing me.”_

_Finally Scott looked up at her, a mischievous grin gracing his face as he lifts an eyebrow._

_“Oh yeah?”_

_She nodded, smiling up at him._

_He leaned closer to her, just so that his lips were barely brushing hers, smiling at the way her breath seemed to catch in her throat._

Even after all this time, _he thought to himself._ Somehow, she still wants to be with me.

_“How can I convince you fully?”_

_She smiles, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek. “Oh, I think you know exactly how.”_

_Scott smirked at her before leaning down again. But as soon as their lips were about to meet, he changed course, leaning down to her neck, blowing a long raspberry against her throat._

_“Oh my god,_ Scott _!” She squealed, wiggling out from underneath him, and in the process throwing herself off the bed and onto the floor._

_Scott sat up and laughed, watching with little remorse as she pushed herself off the floor and flung herself at Scott, pinning him underneath her. She was pouting, but Scott could see a ghost of a smile gracing her pretty features._

_“What was that for?”_

_“For waking me up at god knows what time for something like hogging the bed!”_

_She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” Scott could tell she was trying to keep up a tough exterior, but he could already feel her cracking at the way she was absentmindedly stroking his waist with her thumbs. “That’s it, no sex for you for a week.”_

_He quirked an eyebrow, not believing her. “Oh really?”_

_She nodded firmly. “Nope.”_

_“I’ll bet I could change your mind,” he said, pulling her close again._

_“No way, you brought this upon yourself,” she said, pulling away from him and getting up to hop in the shower, leaving Scott lying there._

_“Wait, Tess!” She turned back to him, and he gave her his sad puppy dog eyes that he knew always worked on her._

_She sighed. “Fine, maybe three days. Or two.”_

_She didn’t even make it through the morning._

***

Scott sighs, rubbing his eyes with his palms at the once blissful but now painful memory. With what little willpower he has, he pulls himself out of bed and makes his way into the kitchen to make his daily cup of coffee.

As he goes to pull a mug out of the cupboard, he catches a glimpse of a hand painted mug in the back corner of the cabinet. Why he pulls it out, he doesn’t know, but he suspects it may be because he’s a bit of a masochist.

He examines the maroon-painted mug, with ‘ _Tessa x Scott’_ painted neatly on it, and the words ‘ _I love you till the end of time’_ written below it. He remembers the way she used to use it every morning, pouring herself a fresh cup of coffee to try and rid herself of the morning monster that usually occupied her body. There were some days where she’d feel ambitious and get ready before her daily coffee, and when Scott would do the dishes later that day he’d find imprints of her lips from her lipstick, and remembers how he’d stand there, memorizing the lines from her perfect lips, thinking about how lucky he was to get to kiss them every day.

He didn’t get to do that anymore.

He squeezes his eyes shut, trying but failing to prevent himself from reliving the memory.

***

_“What are you putting on yours?” He asked her._

_“You don’t get to know that yet,” she replied to him, shielding her creation from him._

_“Why not? I showed you mine! And I’ll see it when it’s done anyway.”_

_“Exactly,” she said matter-of-factly. “You’ll see it when it’s done.”_

_“_ Tess _,” he whined._

_“_ Scott _,” she mimicked back in the same voice._

_He glared at her. “Fine, have it your way.”_

_She smiled brightly at him. “I will.”_

_Two hours later, they had finally finished._

_“Okay, will you show me_ now _?” Scott asked, exasperated._

_She laughed. “Yes, now you can see it, Mr. Whiney-pants.”_

_He rolled his eyes at her, but eagerly snatched her newly painted mug from her hand._

_“Tessa x Scott, I love you till the end of time. Moulin Rouge, Tess? Seriously?” He asked her, but was grinning at the thoughtfulness behind it._

_She nodded. “Yep, we’ve officially become_ that _couple.”_

_Scott scoffed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as he pulled her into his chest. “Like we weren’t that couple already.”_

***

He can feel himself start to lose it. He takes two shaky breaths, trying to get his breathing back under control as he trudges back to his bedroom and flops back down in bed, willing himself back to sleep, into a land where Tessa would tell him everything was okay, because she was there with him.

Everyone keeps telling him he’ll be okay eventually. That it just takes time. And some days he is fine.

But today was not one of those days.

***

_So I drown it out like I always do_  
_Dancing through our house with the ghost of you_  
 _And I chase it down, with a shot of truth_  
 _Dancing through our house with the ghost of you_

***

He can hear the pounding on the door, but he doesn’t care. It continues for a few more minutes before it stops, and Scott thinks that whoever it was finally gave up.

So he is extremely surprised when his covers are ripped off his body.

“Ah!” He yells, immediately on the defensive from the intruder.

“What the hell, Scotty?” says an angry Danny Moir, giving him an incredulous look.

“Danny,” Scott says, immediately calming down. “What are you doing in Montreal?”

Danny rolls his eyes. “Are you kidding me? I’ve had this trip planned for a month! You were supposed to pick me up at the airport, but you never showed, so I had to get an uber all the way over here, thank you very much.”

Scott closes his eyes and sighs. “Shit. I completely forgot.”

“Yeah, apparently.”

There’s a pause in conversation, and Scott can feel Danny eyeing him. Scott is very aware that it’s almost three in the afternoon and that he is still in his pajamas, hair disheveled and unshaven because he chose to forgo a shower this morning.

“You look like shit.”

Scott glares at his older brother. “How’d you even get in here?”

Danny rolls his eyes. “You gave me a key, dumbass.”

“Oh. Right.”

With one last look at Scott, Danny’s eyes finally soften. “What’s going on, Scott?”

Scott shakes his head. “Nothing. Just a bad day today.”

The older Moir sits on the bed next to the younger one and pats his shoulder tenderly. “Scott…” he hesitates before continuing. “You seem to have more bad days than good days lately.”

Scott sighs and rubs at his face. “I know. I know, Danny. It’s just…everything reminds me of _her_.”

“Scotty…maybe it’s time you move. Start fresh, you know?”

But Scott is shaking his head before Danny even finishes his sentence.

“No. No. Absolutely not.”

“It’s not healthy for you to stay here, Scott. You can’t even get up to answer the damn door.”

Scott’s eyes flash with anger. “Well I’m sorry, Danny, that I’ve had some _shit_ happen, and that I’m trying to deal with it.”

“But you’re not dealing with it, Scott! You’re wallowing in your own misery! I get that it’s been horrible, but sooner or later you’re gonna have to face the facts, Scott. Tessa’s not coming back. I’m sorry, but it’s true.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Scott is practically screaming at this point as he jumps up off his bed and spins to face his brother. “You think I don’t know that I’ve lost her forever? Of course I know that! But get this through your thick head, Danny. Tessa was my life, my _world_ for over twenty years! And now, she’s not even apart of it anymore! So I’m _sorry_ if I’m not coping with it how a _normal_ person is supposed to. But we aren’t normal, Danny!”

Scott takes a deep, shaky breath as he sits back down next to Danny. He puts his head in his hands and closes his eyes and says softer this time, “Me and Tessa, we aren’t normal. We… _weren’t_ normal.”

He can practically feel Danny’s pity radiating off of him.

“I can’t leave this place. Not yet. This was what we always wanted. A life, here in Montreal, in this house. We were supposed to raise a family here, in this house. Grow old together. _Die_ here together.”

He looks up at Danny before continuing. “I know none of that is ever going to happen now. But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to give it all up just yet.”

Danny reaches over and rubs his back. “Okay. You’re right. I’m sorry. I can’t push something like this. No one can. You do what you have to do. In your own time.”

***  
_Cleaning up today, found that old Zeppelin shirt_  
_You wore when you ran away, and no one could feel your hurt_  
 _We're too young, too dumb, to know things like love_  
 _But I know better now, better now_

***

Although it started a bit rough, Scott must admit that it has been nice having Danny with him. He helps out with things, and is helping Scott stay distracted.

He even convinces Scott to clean through his closet.

“I think it could be good for you. You’re kind of turning into a hoarder. Plus, it’s a good start to moving on without letting everything go all at once.”

So there they were, sorting through Scott’s old things.

“Oh man, look at this,” Danny says, holding up an old Leafs jersey that is definitely too small for him now.

Scott smiles. “That was one of my first ever jerseys. I definitely have to keep that.”

Danny nods, putting it in the “keep” pile.

Scott turns back to his section of the closet, and out of the corner of his eye, an old, faded grey shirt catches his attention. He grabs it, pulling it completely out to see if it’s the shirt he thinks it is.

It is.

***

_Their relationship had finally moved into the non-platonic category after Sochi. There wasn’t some big, romantic moment, or a dramatic speech where they finally revealed their love for each other. It just sort of…happened._

_They had gone out to dinner to catch up on life after the Olympics, after_ skating _, and Scott was dropping her off at her place. As usual, he got out of his car and walked her to her door, like any gentleman would._

_But tonight was different._

_In the past, he would hug her tight and kiss her cheek before releasing her and walking back to his car. But tonight, he opted instead to cradle her head between his hands before he leaned in and lightly brushed his lips against hers. He didn’t ask her for much else, giving her and himself time to get used to the new sensation of their lips pressing together. He felt her grab his waist lightly, keeping him locked in place, even though he knew he wasn’t going anywhere._

_When he pulled away, he felt a sense of calm wash over himself._

_Tessa looked at him, smiling._

_“Why now?” was all she asked._

_Scott shrugged. “It just felt right.”_

_And it had. They were officially done with competition, done with the training and the coaches and the ice skating. That’s what was keeping them apart anyway, right?_

_Tessa threw her arms around him, wrapping him in a hug as she laughed._

_“Yes, it did. It really did.”_

***

_A few hours later, they were in her bed, Tessa’s naked body pressed up against Scotts. He lightly traced over the curves of her side, from her ribcage and over her hip all the way down to her thigh as he peppered kisses along her shoulder._

_“I’ve always loved your freckles,” he murmured in between kisses._

_“Scott,” she whined._

_“What? I’m serious. Especially this group of them on your left shoulder. They’re beautiful.”_

_Tessa shook her head. “I hate them. Just one more flaw to add to me.”_

_Scott furrowed his eyebrows and frowned, even though Tessa’s back was to him and she couldn’t see it._

_“Don’t say that, Tess. Ever. Your freckles are what make you_ you _. And you’re perfect, so therefore, so are they,” he said before kissing each one individually._

_He felt Tessa shudder under his lips, and he smiled to himself. He’d never get tired of that sensation._

_“I’m nowhere near perfect, Scott.”_

_“Maybe not, but you’re perfect for me.”_

_Tessa giggles, finally facing him and giving him a look._

_Scott grinned. “That was cheesy, huh?”_

_“_ So _cheesy,” she replied. “But I love it.”_

_She kissed him one more time before getting up, much to Scott’s protest._

_Tessa laughed, shushing him playfully. “Be patient.”_

_She headed toward her dresser, pulling out a familiar looking shirt._

_“Is that my Led Zeppelin shirt?”_

_Tessa blushed as she threw it over her head. “Maybe. It looked comfy, so I borrowed it to test the theory. I was right, so I kept it.”_

_She walked back over to the bed, crawling in and once again finding Scott’s side to snuggle into._

_Scott laughed. “Fair enough.”_

_Tessa perched her chin on his chest, looking up at him._

_“I’m assuming you’re staying the night?”_

_Scott smiled, running a hand over her back. “If that’s okay with you. I was kind of hoping this could continue in the morning.”_

_Tessa pretended to think for a second, before sighing dramatically. “I guess if it must,” she replied._

_They laughed, and Scott reached over to turn off the lamp on her night stand._

_“Goodnight, Tess.”_

_“Goodnight, Scott.”_

***

_Scott awoke the next morning, charged and ready to continue what had gone on the night before. But when he reached out for Tessa, his hand only met the cool fabric of her sheets. He started to doubt that last night had actually happened. That maybe it was a dream. A stupid, wonderful dream._

_But when he sat up, he found Tessa sitting on the corner of the bed, her back facing Scott. This was not good. This was definitely not good._

_“Hey,” he said softly. “What’s wrong?”_

_She turned her head toward him, and Scott could see her eyes shining with hurt and fear and a little bit of regret._

_“Why is Kaitlyn Lawes texting you and asking to see you tonight?”_

_“What?”_

_And that’s when he noticed his phone in her hand. Immediately, Scott was on the defensive._

_“You went through my_ phone _?”_

_Tessa stood up, giving herself a bit of higher ground, and turned around to face him completely._

_“Of course not, Scott! But your phone wouldn’t shut up this morning, so I went to turn it off, and what do I see? Missed calls and texts from_ her _!”_

_Scott shook his head. He needed to fix this. He needed to make her see that it was only her. It was always only her._

_“No Tess, please just listen. I haven’t talked to her in weeks! She kind of started talking to another guy, and then this,_ us _, started to become real and we just…I honestly don’t know why she’s asking to meet me._

_Tessa’s eyes narrowed. “So, what? Was I just your back up plan? Once she started talking to another guy, you decided that maybe now would be a good time to try us out?”_

_“What? Tessa, no. That’s not what I meant at all.”_

_Scott could feel her slipping through his fingers as she started to gather his clothes off the ground. Once she had, she placed them neatly beside him._

_“I think you need to leave,” she whispered, her voice cracking slightly._

_“Tess,” Scott pleaded, trying to meet her eyes. But she refused to look at him, and instead walked out into her kitchen._

_Scott sat there, wondering how the hell this went from the best night of his life to the morning from hell. Eventually, he got out of bed and got dressed. When he exited her bedroom, he found her at her kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee._

_“Tessa, please-”_

_“Scott, I really don’t want to do this right now. I need time. Please, just give me time,” she pleaded, still refusing to look at him._

_Scott nodded, even though she couldn’t see it. “Fine. You take your time, Tess. I’ll be here.”_

_Then he left her, this time wishing that everything really was a dream._

***

The world knows what happened after that. Tessa departed on her “Year of Yes” as Scott went on to date Kaitlyn and drink away the hole Tessa left in his heart after that night, the pair only talking when they had events to attend together. It wouldn’t be until they started teasing the idea of coming back that their relationship started to develop a sense of normalcy again, and it wasn’t until after PyeongChang that Tessa finally allowed Scott back into her life in _that_ way.

“What do you want to do with that shirt?”

Scott blinks, looking up at Danny. “What?”

Danny points to the shirt Scott was holding, the one that spurred the memory.

“Are you keeping it?”

Scott looks down at the shirt once more and sighs. “No. Not this one.”

One step at a time.

***  
_So I drown it out like I always do_  
_Dancing through our house with the ghost of you_  
 _And I chase it down, with a shot of truth_  
 _Dancing through our house with the ghost of you_

***

_-3 Months Later-_

It’s ten in the morning, and Scott is already on his third glass of whiskey. But unlike all the other days, today he actually has a reason to drink away his sorrows.

He hears a knock on his door, and stumbles over to open it, revealing a person he never would expect to see on a day like today.

“Kate?”

Kate Virtue smiles at him sadly before saying, “Jordan deals with things in her own way. And if there was one other person who would be just as devastated today as Jordan and I, it’s you.”

Scott feels the tears well up in his eyes as he pulls Kate into a hug.

She hugs him back tightly. “Plus, I know that Tessa wouldn’t want you to be alone on a day like today.”

Scott holds her tighter as he feels himself start to shake. “One year, Kate. It’s been a whole year since she died.”

***

_“Hello?”_

_“Hey babe, I’m just about to walk out of the studio. Have you eaten yet?”_

_“Nope, not yet. How was the photoshoot?”_

_“Oh, you know. They threw me in dresses, took some photos. Pretty much what you’d expect from a photoshoot.”_

_Scott rolled his eyes. “You think you’re so funny, don’t you?”_

_He could practically see his wife grinning from the other end of the line. “As a matter of fact, I do. And I know you do too.”_

_“Yeah yeah, whatever. Just bring me my food.”_

_Tessa laughed. “What do you want?”_

_“Hmm, I don’t know. Surprise me.”_

_She giggled. “Alright, see you soon. Love you.”_

_“You too. Bye.”_

***

Day in and day out, their last conversation is on constant replay in his mind. Over the last year, Scott has come to realize that the worst part about a loved one suddenly dying isn’t the death itself, but the last conversation ever with them. Because you don’t get a chance to figure out what to say to them. You don’t get a chance to tell them how thankful you are that they’re in your life, or to tell them how much better the world was because they’re in it. Because you just don’t know. You don’t know that it’s your last chance to say those things. The only thing you get is regret, regret, regret. And that’s all Scott can think about. That for the rest of his life, his last conversation with Tessa Virtue, his skating partner, his wife, his _best friend_ will not end with an “I love you,” but instead a half-hearted “you too.” And he can’t do a damn thing about it.

***

_When Scott heard the knock on the door, he didn’t think anything of it. It wasn’t even 7pm yet, it was still an appropriate time for visitors to spontaneously show up._

Maybe it’s Jordan, _he thought, turning his attention away from the Leafs game to answer the door._ She likes to pop by randomly to surprise Tess.

_He didn’t get anxious until he opened the door and came face-to-face with a police officer._

_“Good evening. Are you Scott Moir?” The officer asked him._

_“Yes, sir,” he replied. “How can I help you?”_

_The officer pursed his lips as he gestured inside. “May I come in? I’d like to sit down with you and talk.”_

_Scott stepped aside, letting him in. “Of course.”_

_Once they were sat down, Scott was so anxious he was shaking. “Officer, can you please tell me what’s going on? I’m kind of freaking out over here.” He tried to play it off as a joke, but the officer just gave him a solemn look._

_“Mr. Moir, your wife, Tessa Virtue-Moir, was involved in an accident about thirty minutes ago. The roads are extremely icy tonight, and she lost control of her vehicle and ran it off the road. I’m so sorry, but she was pronounced dead on impact.”_

_Scott was still, trying to process what the police officer was telling him. He could hear the words, and he understood them, he just couldn’t quite wrap his head around them._

_“I’m sorry, I think you have the wrong person.”_

_The officer hesitated slightly before saying gently, “I’m sorry Mr. Moir, but I do not.”_

_Anger coursed through Scott like a violent river as he stood up, towering over the police officer. “Yes, you do! I just talked to my wife not even an hour ago! She was fine! She_ is _fine!”_

_The officer stood, up, grabbing Scott by the shoulders forcefully yet caringly and gently as he forced Scott to look him in the eye._

_“Scott. Listen to me. She was in a crash some time after you got off the phone with her. We don’t have the wrong person. I’m so, so sorry but she died. Tessa is dead.”_

_Scott let out a heart-wrenching cry as he crumpled to the ground. The cop knelt to the ground with him, never once letting go of Scott._

_“She’s not dead, she can’t be dead. Tessa!”_

_“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”_

***  
_Too young, too dumb_  
_To know things like love_  
 _Too young, too dumb_

***

One of the worst things surrounding Tessa’s death was that there wasn’t anyone to blame. There was no drunk driver, no one texting behind the wheel, no one. It was just a freak accident that happened one icy night, and that left Scott fuming. He needs to blame _somebody_ , some _thing_. Every now and then, he feels a swell of anger at Tessa rise up in his chest. Anger for having a photoshoot that day, anger for getting in that car in the first place. But it goes just as quickly as it comes, and the guilt that fills his soul afterwards lasts for days.

Unable to hold in his emotions anymore, he tells this all to Kate.

He expects her to defend her daughter, to be mad at him like he is with himself when he feels this, but instead she just smiles sadly and nods.

“I feel that way sometimes, too.”

Shocked, he stares at her. “Really?”

She sighs and nods. “Yes. When something bad happens, Scott, a person always looks for someone to blame, whether it’s themselves or someone else. We can’t blame ourselves, because we weren’t there. There was nothing we could do to stop it. But we can’t blame the other person involved either because there was no other person. So of course it’s natural to blame Tessa.”

She reaches over to squeeze his hand. “You’re working through a great loss, Scott. We all are. You trying to cope with that loss and all of your emotions by being angry at Tessa doesn’t mean you love her any less.”

Scott lets out a shaky sigh as he pulls Kate into a hug.

“I just wish she never got in that _stupid_ car.”

He can feel Kate nod against his shoulder. “I know, honey. Me too.”

***  
_So I drown it out like I always do_  
_Dancing through our house with the ghost of you_  
 _And I chase it down, with a shot of truth_  
 _That my feet don't dance like they did with you_

***

_-4 Years Later-_

Scott shrugs off his jacket and hangs it off the back of his chair as he takes a seat at the bar.

“I’ll take a whiskey neat, thanks,” he says to the bartender.

He takes a look around the familiar bar, eyes lingering on the dance floor as he watches couples dance to the slow song on the jukebox, waiting for the bartender to bring him his drink. He throws it back in one gulp, before raising his hand, signaling for another.

He hears a chuckle from beside him, and he looks over to see an attractive woman looking him over.

“Someone’s drinking to forget tonight,” she says.

Scott offers her a polite smile before muttering under his breath, “You have no idea.”

***

_“Tess, let’s go, come on!” He said, pulling on her hand as he tries to get her to stand so he can lead her to the dance floor._

_She laughed, pulling back against him. “Scott, no! I don’t want to!”_

_Scott gave her a playful look. “That’s a lie and you know it, T. You’re just being stubborn now.”_

_Tessa laughed again and pulled Scott over to her, wrapping her arms around his waist as she stared up at him from her seat._

_“Maybe so, but I’m winning, aren’t I?”_

_Scott grinned at her deviously and leaned down to plant a kiss on her lips._

_“Not for long, kiddo.”_

_Immediately, the smile is wiped off her face. “What did you do?”_

_“Oh, nothing much. I may have just, you know, queued up a song.”_

_Right on cue,_ Your Song _, by Elton John started playing._

_Tessa gave him a look._

_“That’s not fair,” she said. “You can’t use our wedding song against me!”_

_Scott laughed as he pulled her up out of her chair, successfully this time._

_“All’s fair in love and war, baby.”_

_Tessa just shook her head and smiled at him as she let him lead her to the dance floor. He pulled her flush against him as they rocked back and forth to the melody of the song._

_“I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind, that I put down in words, how wonderful life is, while you’re in the world,” Scott sang quietly, just for Tessa to hear._

_He felt her smile against him. “I love you so much.”_

_Scott smiled back at her. “I love you too, T.”_

***

“So, what is it?” The woman asks, scooting into the seat next to Scott. “Family, girlfriend, best friend, what?”

Scott smiles dryly at her. “Wife, actually. Today’s the fifth anniversary of her passing.”

Any sign of humor in the woman’s eyes disappears at his words.

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

Scott shakes his head, smiling slightly. “It’s okay, you didn’t know.”

It’s a few seconds before the woman speaks again. “I lost my husband too, actually. About three and a half years ago.”

“I’m sorry. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.”

The woman nods. “Me too. It was cancer. We all knew it was coming. It was a matter of when, not if.  How about your wife?”

Scott sighs. “Car accident.”

She sucks in a breath. “That’s a tough one.”

He has to admit, having someone with him who doesn’t know his life story yet can still relate to what he’s feeling is kind of nice.

The pair is silent for a few minutes, just enjoying each other’s presence, until the woman asks, “Is there any chance you’d want to dance?”

Scott opens his mouth, prepared to say no just like he always does, but something stops him. What it is, he’s not sure. But he swears he can feel Tessa’s presence ghost through him and the woman as he holds out his hand to the woman.

_Maybe it’s time to move on,_ he thinks. Nothing can replace Tessa, but he knows she wouldn’t want him to be unhappy and alone for the rest of his life. And just because he’s already lost the love of his life doesn’t mean he can’t find a little bit of remote happiness somewhere else.

So he leads the woman to the dance floor, dancing for the first time with someone that isn’t Tessa. It feels strange, the feeling of her hand in his, and his other hand wrapped around her waist. It’s foreign territory for him, but he has to admit it feels sort of nice.

But there wasn’t any spark between the two of them like there was with Tessa. He doesn’t feel like he’s leaving a hot trail of desire on every inch of her body that he touches like he did with Tessa. And their dance just confirms everything he already knew. It just isn’t the same as it was with Tessa.

It never will be.

**Author's Note:**

> *slowly creeps out from behind corner*  
> Wow, so, it's been a while. Life got...insane. I'm so sorry that this is the fic you guys are getting for my return haha. I've actually had this written since like June, and I'm not really sure why I'm just posting it but here it is! I really hope you guys enjoyed it, even though it's not an enjoyable one at all!  
> Honestly, up until the part where I actually revealed Tessa's death, I wasn't actually planning on having her dead. Originally, she was just supposed to leave him. However, I didn't think it was very in character for Tessa to actually abandon Scott, so I changed it to where she died. (I'm so sorry).  
> I'm not really sure when the next time I'll be posting a story because I just started my senior year of college and life is just really hectic right now, but who knows what the future holds.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who read this, let me know what you thought!
> 
> P.S. Happy birthday, Scott!


End file.
